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From: roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Turning off news and uucp for a period of time
Message-ID: <192@phri.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-Feb-85 11:49:19 EST
Article-I.D.: phri.192
Posted: Sat Feb 23 11:49:19 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Feb-85 06:59:53 EST
References: <233@resonex.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Public Health Research Inst. (NY, NY)
Lines: 39

> When we are running experiments [...] we would prefer not to have news
> or uucp running because they slow down the system.  
> 
> Do you have any recommendations on how to block news and uucp?

Instead of having /usr/lib/uucp/uucico in the shell field of /etc/passwd
for your uucp logins, put in /usr/lib/uucp/checktime, which appears
below.  I don't actually have this running here; I made this up just
now, so please don't flame me if I messed up a few details.  And, yes,
I'm sure this can be done just a simply with a shell file.

main ()
{
	if (open ("/usr/spool/uucp/shutup", FIO_READ) < 0)
		exec ("/usr/lib/uucp/uucico");
	else
	{
		printf ("sorry -- we're closed\n");
		exit (1);
	}
}

This attempts to open the "shutup" file for reading.  If the file DOES NOT
EXIST, open returns an error, and you just run uucico like you usually do.
If you can open the file, it exists, and you just exit.  The uucico at the
other end will get either a HANDSHAKE or TIMEOUT error and will give up.
All you have to do when you don't want uucp's to call you up is to create
this file; when you want to allow incoming uucp's again, just remove it.
You might want to warn you uucp partners about this; if they happen to
run uucico in debug mode, they will see the "sorry -- we're closed" message
and get confused as hell.  You can expand on this, I'm sure.
-- 

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect
the views of the Public Health Research Institute.

{decvax,ihnp4}!vax135!timeinc\
                              >!phri!roy (Roy Smith)
     {allegra,rocky2}!cubsvax/